Discuss Legislative Strategy Plan and Contract with The Tinklenberg Group for Work regarding Improvements to US Trunk Highway 10 and Related Rail Crossings.

Purpose:  The purpose of this item is to discuss a draft legislative work plan in regard to the improvements to US Highway 10 and the related rail crossings, presented by Elwyn Tinklenberg of The Tinklenberg Group, and to discuss the continuation of a contract with Mr. Tinklenberg.  

Background: 
The City has worked with the Tinklenberg Group for most of the past decade, with contracts over the past three years averaging about $47,000 per year (including the proposed contract for the balance of 2015, not yet approved).  This item, legislative consulting services, was identified as an ongoing resource needed to maintain the Highway 10 effort over the next several years. 

Mr. Tinklenberg brings a strong level of experience and involvement in transportation issues, and allows the City to maintain a leadership role in this area, and to successfully promote Ramsey projects.  The City's past efforts in working with Mr. Tinklenberg have yielded a successful conclusion to the $35M Armstrong Project, which has been awarded several grant awards, including a $10M federal (TIGER) grant, a $10M state (CIMS) grant, a $8M bonding allocation from the state, and a $10.2M award from the Counties Transit Investment Board (CTIB), which fully funded the project.  Previously, the North Star Rail Station in Ramsey was also a successful effort.

Currently, El Tinklenberg submitted a work plan to extend his contract in regard to Highway 10 and the related rail improvements.  Mr. Tinklenberg points out that the City of Ramsey's leadership on issues related to the safety and congestion of US Highway 10 has produced both significant improvements and important opportunities in the corridor. He notes that besides the very visible construction of the Armstrong Interchange, there are other improvement as well.  These include the high degree of cooperation and collaboration that characterizes the work with the County and other cities in the corridor, the heightened awareness of corridor issues among key legislative and congressional leaders, the growing public and business community support for the City of Ramsey's Highway 10 efforts, and increasing interest in economic development opportunities in the City along US 10. 

Mr. Tinklenberg states that his proposed work plan (attached to this case/following contract language) seeks to capitalize on recent improvements and successes by implementing a series of strategies focused on the goal of securing funding for additional construction projects in the Highway 10 corridor benefiting the City of Ramsey. Specific outcomes and deliverables have been added to the proposal at the request of the City to enhance the accountability of the contract.  He also has been asked to review 2015 activity to date with the Council at the work session.

The contract language proposes a  work plan to be completed over the course of the contract at a fee of $27,000, which would carry this plan out through December 2015.

Approximately 15 minutes.

Funds would come from the City's Public Improvement Revolving Fund.  The undesignated reserve balance of the PIR Fund is approximately $1.5 million.

City Administrator Kurt Ulrich

A consensus to agree on the details of the work plan for US Highway 10 and to recommend the City Council approve entering into a contract with The Tinklenberg Group in the amount of $27,000, which will be in effect immediately upon approval through December 2015.